Ningaloo Reef D2x gallery

[randapex 0]

I've gotten my pics up on my website for review and comment. Pretty happy overall but I'm thinking(hoping ) that I'll improve some next trip out. I'll have my magnified eyepiece installed so I can see the whole view through my viewfinder. With the stock one, my reg would hit the back of the housing preventing me from really seeing the whole frame.

 

Greenwater Images

 

BTW all images shot with the 105mm. Some of the Nudi and critter close-ups with the Woody's diopter. Shutter on all images: 1/250 as my shutter control would not work properly. Any shot with cleaner interaction was @ f22 for the most part.

[pmooney 6]

Rand,

 

Fantastic selection of images.

 

Not the usuall sunball WA that has become you signature.Congrats.

 

Peter

[MikeVeitch 0]

HI Rand, great selection of images. SOme really nice Nudi work there. You are really making good use of verticals on macro which i always like.

Seems Alcina showed you around very nicely.

COuple of questions: you have something there listed as Frogfish. Thats a frogfish? never seen one like that before, great capture.

 

On another note, everything has great colour and saturation but seems kinda dark to me. Perhaps too much saturation? Not sure if its underexposure or perhaps just my monitor calibration? I am on 6500K and Adobe RGB98. That might explain differences?

Also couldn't open the Wobbegong photo...

[Alex_Mustard 0]

I like all the images of cleaning - a nice theme to the set of images. I also really like tome composition of the first bullockii shot - it is very dynamic. The small crab is also a very good one.

 

I hadn't realised that Ningaloo was such a good critter spot. Nice to know that there is a nice backup there if the big spotty fish or the mantas aren't around.

 

Alex

[Kasey 0]

Nice shots, but I agree with Mike that they seem a little dark on my Mac monitor... Or maybe just lacking in "pop." I can see that enough info is there to edit them to perfection - are these straight out of camera? JPEGs from the camera or RAW?

 

Thanks for sharing. Great to see such nice images coming from the D2. Can't wait for Seacam to put mine in the mail!

[kdietz 0]

Very nice collection of shot Rand....the Longnosed Hawkfish is my favorite....nice catch

 

What are your impressions of using the D2X over the D70? Did it change or give you new opportunities for your shooting? or was the difference just in the final product?

 

Karl

[randapex 0]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

 

Editing: Everything was shot in Raw and converted to Tiff files using RawShooter. The program was downloaded on my way out the door to Australia, so, along with the new camera and housing, I added another layer to the learning curve.

 

The color space is sRGB. I'm not really up on this type of thing so perhaps something isn't right. It would help if those that see the pics as too dark, would look at my other galleries and let me know how the Ningaloo one compares.

 

I edit on a Toshiba Tecra laptop that does indeed have an extremely bright screen. I've run into the issue of seeing edited shots a bit darker than I desire when viewing them on my office PC. In any case, they can be adjusted brighter and I'll keep that in mind when my next trip photos go on my site.

 

Saturation: When Alex posted his first D2x shots, they looked a bit oversaturated to me also. Saturation can of course be tweaked in PS but, it may be that we are seeing colors that were muted somewhat by other cameras and now are coming through much more deeply saturated than imagined. Not sure on that. Haven't printed anything out yet. That will give me a better idea of final output.

 

Alex: Yes, there are lots of critters on the Reef there. Part of my motivation for going was the cleaning activity shots alcina has posted. For every shot you see of cleaners, I blew two. A patient person would have come back with much more. In fact, as I look back on it, there was more activity there than anyplace I've ever dove. This is without seeing the Whalesharks and Mantas that were there but due to the things that sometimes happen on dive trips, weren't photographed.

 

In Australia, they call Frogfish, Anglerfish. And the one that is labled a Frogfish, reminds me of those Toadfish you see in Cozumel. Just used the names that they called them there. I'll look into the Wobegone and see why it's not loading.

 

Karl, in general, a brighter view finder and larger LCD screen are the two things I've noticed most. In even darker water, I could see well enough for critical focus using MF. My light died on the third dive one day and instead of replacing it with my backup light, was able to see well enough to continue shooting.

 

I'm determined to try AF more in PNG. I'm sure it's faster and better in low light than the D70 but my experience is limited.

 

As for the other 1/2 of the experience, editing: better color saturation, finer detail and of course larger files allow cropping without as much pixelating when enlarged.

The images look so much better full screen. It's not reliable to judge these images reduced in size for the web.

 

Thanks again.

 

Rand

[james 0]

Hi Rand,

 

These are great photos - I think you should be pretty satisfied for your first outing w/ this camera. I agree that on my calibrated monitor, the shots look to be about 1/2 stop under. I'm sure you can tweak them later if you think that you need to - or before making prints for example.

 

My personal favorites are the eels and the toadfish, but I also like the goatfish a lot. I guess a nice thing about these cleaning station photos is that they give you an opportunity to shoot fish that would usually turn tail and run. I have never been able to get a goatfish photo that I like. That reminds me, take a look at Alex's goatfish telemacro face-on shot.

 

So what do you think of the size of the rig in comparison to your old setup? I'm shooting a big housing now and macro is a lot harder.

 

Cheers

James

[randapex 0]

Thanks James-

 

Guess you can say I played it safe this time. Didn't really do much with DOF and with the shutter issue, no chance to play with rear curtain or blue water backgrounds.

 

The cleaning stations are frustrating at times. The fish will dart off before even one shot at times. The Goatfish had its' butt toward me for quite a while. Finally it turned. And yes, Alex took one of the less attractive subjects and just nailed it. It's a beauty.

 

Overall size on the D2x Subal isn't too much bigger VS the D70. Once under and shooting, you kind of forget about it. It's a bit heavier, still can one hand it for a bit but I found myself putting my left forearm under the housing to help support the weight at times. The viewfinder was the most notable improvement on a consistant basis. Looking through and seeing a somewhat brighter subject is a plus.

The magnified viewfinder will help with the compostition issues I had at first. Took me a while to figure out to use the center square as a reference point. And the magnified viewfinder stands off the housing back several more inches. I'll be able to get my mask up to it without hitting my regulator. That should allow me to see the whole viewing area.

 

Rand

[scubamarli 5]

Hi Rand,

Nice work, as usual. Of course,I think the nudis are great! I think the "lumpy bumpy", as I've grown to call them, is an Ocellate phyllidia. The toadfish, (named frogfish on your site, but I think you already know that), I have as a spiky or banded toadfish (Halophyrne diamensis). He's awfully cute!

Great stuff, and of course expecting more from PNG.

Cheers,

Marli

[randapex 0]

Thanks Marli!

 

Yea, they called the cute one a frogfish or a toadfish. Just local names so I put the frogfish down and called it good. Only one I saw and wouldn't trade it for the Whaleshark. He was high on my list.

 

Rand

[Craig Ruaux 0]

Hey Rand, while we are making minor nitpicks of otherwise excellent shots , it is a

 

wobbegong

 

 

not a "wobegone"

 

 

Though I do phonetically like "woe-be-gone", which is what happens when you see one.

 

RE: brightness, on my laptop monitor they look about 1/2 stop under, as James says. On my profiled external monitor they look just right.

[Ana Rodriguez Blanco 0]

Nice shots, I like all the cleaning wrasses scenes, the good color you get at nudibranchs and specially the honeycomb cod.

 

The other galleries are very good too, you have a very complete website, congratulations!

[Stewart L. Sy 12]

Rand,

 

Very nice collection!

 

Stu

[Ponsui 0]

Hi Rand,

 

I really like the toadfish pic. You don't see many of those, and the front full-face angle is a welcome change. I am also envious of the D2x...

 

David.